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Urgent Updates
Is there any hope for additional broad federal stimulus before
the November election?
It appears not. Yesterday (October 6), President Trump called off via tweet all further negotiations on a
federal stimulus deal until after the election. Last Thursday night (October
1), the U.S. House passed the HEROES Act, which included $89.5 billion for
cities across the country, among many other things. The HEROES Act was a
non-starter with the Senate and the White House, but negotiations on a
compromise bill continued through this week. The president’s announcement
mostly dashes any remaining hope of a global deal in the near future, though
the president did later tweet support for stand-alone components of the
larger stimulus package, including relief for airline employees, loans for
small businesses, and $1,200 stimulus checks.
Will early voting still begin on October 13?
Yes. Today (October 7), the Texas Supreme Court rejected the argument of several state officials that
Governor Abbott lacked the authority to expand the early voting period and
the window for a voter to deliver a ballot voted by mail. In the opinion,
Chief Justice Hecht acknowledged that voting is already underway across the state
and that “[t]o disrupt the long-planned election procedures as relators would
have us do would threaten voter confusion.”
In a separate opinion issued today, the Texas Supreme Court
held that the Harris County Clerk lacked the authority to proactively send
out applications for mail-in ballots to all registered voters in Harris
County.
Further Updates
How has COVID-19 impacted our state’s prosperity and
opportunities in the future?
Listen to Margaret Spellings, former U.S. Secretary of
Education and President and CEO of Texas 2036, a data-driven long-term planning non-profit,
discuss what their research shows are the most important issues facing our
state today and tomorrow. She’ll discuss issues like health, broadband,
workforce, education, and government performance, and recommend ways cities,
businesses, and all Texans can work together to make sure our state is the
best place to live and work for years to come.
Register here to hear Secretary Spellings’ keynote
session at the virtual 2020 TML Annual Conference, and view more than 30
other conference sessions related to disaster recovery and resilience.
Where can I find archived issues of the TML Coronavirus
Updates?
TML Coronavirus Updates are archived by date here and by subject here
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